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Still a Barrier-Breaking Classic FF/RWD in the subject And hey hey hey, America’s favorite television dad says he is ‘far from finished’ and will soon be back to deliver another family-friendly sitcom to NBC.

The film Muppets Most Wanted, starring FF Kermit the Frog and the Muppet gang RWD traipsing across the globe, premiered last weekend as Jim Henson’s timeless The Cosby Show debuted on NBC To date, The creationsCosby Show enjoy has renewed made more popularity. than on Sept. 20, 1984, and ran on the network for $1 billion in syndication. The show airs a total of eight seasons. The combination of BILL regularly on TVLand. COSBY’s star power and the warm, family sen- NBC, while still known for a few critically sibility of the show made the series an praised comedies, is a long way from its Cosby almost immediate success. glory years. “Comedy has proven to During Cosby’s first season, be very difficult for us,” NBC it came in third overall in the Entertainment chairman ratings behind Dynasty and BOB GREENBLATT Dallas. But by the second said during the network’s season it had rocketed to Dallas 2014 TCA Winter No. 1, where it remained for press tour. NBC tried to the majority of its run. revive the genre with Sean Saves the World and The Michael J. Fox Show last fall,

“At a time when but after poor viewership both The Michael J. Fox Show blacks were once again were canceled at midseason. The axing was an especially being considered ratings powerful blow to Fox, as the network had ordered the liabilities by benighted star’s show straight to series, filming 22 episodes in total with only 15 of the 22 airing. television executives, Despite the positive impact of The Cosby Show the middle-class and its presentation of an all-black cast, the Huxtables have become current major network the most popular family TV landscape is not much more in the United States.” diverse than it was in 1984. According —John J. O’Connor, in a 1985 review The Cosby Show’s Huxtable family ruled the Nielsens in the mid-to-late ’80s. of The Cosby Show in The New York Times to the 2014 Hollywood Diversity Report, minori- ties hold only about 5.1% Critics of the Huxtable family argued that the show of the lead roles in network comedies and dramas. Cable has been a little wasn’t an accurate depiction of a typical African-American friendlier to minorities, with 14.7% of leads in comedies and dramas. household. Many found it hard to believe that a well- Rumors first began to swirl of a new Cosby TV project last November to-do black family with a gynecologist father and an after the 76-year-old spilled some beans while promoting his Comedy attorney mother actually existed in the real world. Central special, Bill Cosby: Far From Finished, with Yahoo! TV. The Cosby Show led a revival of sitcoms at the Peacock Network. Before Cosby, the last NBC sitcom to “I want to be able to deliver break into the top three in the ratings was Sanford and Son, which peaked at No. 2 in the 1974-75 season. a wonderful show to [a] network. Cosby anchored the rise of NBC through Because there is a viewership out the 1980s under legendary programming chief there that wants to see comedy, BRANDON TARTIKOFF. Following Cosby in the network’s high-octane Thursday-night and warmth, and love, and surprise, lineup: Family Ties, Cheers, Night Court and Hill Street Blues—classics all. and cleverness, without going into When The Cosby Show finally began to de- the party attitude.” —Bill Cosby cline, NBC launched The Fresh Prince of Bel- Air on Sept. 10, 1990. Fresh Prince centered on the Two months later, NBC confirmed that it is teaming with Cosby upper-class, African-American Banks family. The again to develop a family comedy. TOM WERNER, who worked on Cosby in Cosby Show also spawned the 1987 spinoff A Far From Finished The success of The Cosby Show The Cosby Show with MARCY CARSEY, is also along for the ride. helped launch Different World, which originally followed Cliff’s similar NBC sitcoms including The Fresh So far, few details have been released about the project other than the Prince of Bel-Air (top) and A Different World daughter Denise Huxtable (LISA BONET) starring , star’s pledge that the new series “is a work in respect to the family, that Cosby’s Lisa Bonet (bottom, center). through college.

the children sit with the parents and watch.” TVLand; Eric Liebowitz/NBC; Erinn Chalene Cosby

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